312-50v13 Exam Dumps - Certified Ethical Hacker Exam (CEHv13)

CEH v13 emphasizes that insecure deserialization is one of the most dangerous application vulnerabilities because it can lead to arbitrary code execution, bypassing authentication, authorization, and session protections entirely.

Even with MFA, encrypted cookies, and WAFs, deserialization flaws allow attackers to manipulate serialized objects used in session handling. When deserialized without validation, these objects may execute attacker-controlled code.

CSRF relies on authenticated users. Side jacking is mitigated by encryption. Session fixation is ineffective if session regeneration and MFA are implemented. Insecure deserialization, however, attacks the application logic itself, making it the most effective option.

Thus, Option D is correct.

In CEH v13 Information Security and Ethical Hacking Overview, script kiddies are defined as individuals with limited technical knowledge who rely on pre-written tools, scripts, and exploits created by others to carry out attacks. They typically lack a deep understanding of how the underlying exploits work.

CEH v13 categorizes attackers based on skill level and intent. Script kiddies sit at the lower end of the skill spectrum. They often download exploit kits, automated scanners, or attack frameworks and run them with minimal customization. While their attacks may be unsophisticated, they can still cause damage due to the availability of powerful tools.

Option B accurately reflects this definition. Options A and D describe skilled attackers or programmers, which contradicts the CEH classification. Option C is incorrect because ethical hackers use tools responsibly with authorization and possess a strong understanding of security principles.

CEH v13 emphasizes that although script kiddies are less skilled, they pose a risk because automation allows them to exploit known vulnerabilities at scale. This is why organizations must patch systems promptly and implement baseline security controls.

Thus, Option B is the correct answer.

This scenario clearly indicates a SYN Flood attack, a classic Denial-of-Service technique discussed in CEH v13 Network and Perimeter Hacking. In a normal TCP three-way handshake, a client sends a SYN, the server responds with SYN-ACK, and the client completes the connection with an ACK. In a SYN flood, attackers send a massive number of SYN packets but never complete the handshake.

As described in CEH v13, the server allocates memory and resources for each half-open connection, placing them in the SYN_RECEIVED state. When these connections are not finalized, the server’s connection table becomes saturated, preventing legitimate users from establishing new sessions.

Other options are incorrect:

Smurf attacks rely on ICMP amplification, not TCP handshakes.

Ping of Death uses malformed ICMP packets.

UDP Floods overwhelm ports using UDP, not TCP session states.

CEH v13 emphasizes SYN floods as one of the most common Layer 4 DoS attacks due to their simplicity and effectiveness.

This scenario most closely matches spam and phishing delivered through social networking platforms, a technique emphasized in CEH social engineering coverage as social media phishing or spear phishing via professional networks. Nadia impersonates a trusted internal authority figure, a senior HR manager, and uses believable branding elements such as a stolen logo and accurate employee details to establish credibility. She then initiates contact through connection requests and funnels targets into a controlled space, a private group, where she requests sensitive information. Collecting a work email address and department role may appear harmless, but CEH guidance notes that attackers often start with small, plausible requests to build trust and assemble data for deeper compromise. Work emails and roles enable targeted spear phishing, business email compromise preparation, password reset targeting, and crafting convincing pretexts aligned to the victim’s function.

The core mechanics align with phishing: deception, impersonation, and a call to action designed to extract information. The “exclusive project updates” hook is a classic lure used to increase compliance. While the exercise could lead to involuntary data leakage as a downstream effect, the primary simulated threat is the phishing process itself, using social media as the delivery channel. Loss of productivity is not the intent here, and network vulnerability exploitation refers to technical system flaws rather than manipulating human trust. Therefore, the most accurate classification of Nadia’s drill is spam and phishing conducted through a social media pretext.

In CEH v13 Malware Threats, BITS is highlighted as a legitimate Windows service frequently abused by attackers for stealthy command-and-control (C2) communication and data exfiltration. BITS is designed to transfer files in the background using idle bandwidth, primarily for Windows Updates and Microsoft services.

Attackers exploit BITS because its traffic closely resembles legitimate Windows update traffic, which is almost always allowed through firewalls, proxies, and endpoint security controls. This makes malicious traffic blend seamlessly into normal network activity, significantly reducing the likelihood of detection.

Option C correctly captures this behavior. BITS does not rely on IP fragmentation (Option A), DNS encryption (Option B), or exclusive HTTP tunneling (Option D). Instead, it leverages trusted system behavior and signed binaries, allowing malware to “live off the land.”

CEH v13 stresses that abuse of trusted services like BITS is a hallmark of advanced persistent threats (APTs) and fileless malware. Detecting such abuse typically requires behavioral monitoring rather than signature-based detection.

Thus, Option C is correct.

The correct choice is C because Nessus Essentials is fundamentally a vulnerability assessment scanner. Its core purpose is to identify security weaknesses by checking systems and services against a large vulnerability knowledge base, which includes detecting outdated or vulnerable versions of operating systems, server software, databases, web servers, and common network services. In practical scanning, Nessus performs remote checks such as banner/version identification, configuration and patch-level assessment (where possible), and vulnerability plugin checks to flag software releases that are known to be insecure or end-of-life. This directly matches the scenario emphasis: supporting “diverse technologies including operating systems, databases, web servers, and virtual environments,” and asking for a capability it provides “as part of its scanning process.”

Why the other options are incorrect:

A (Patch management) is not what Nessus Essentials is designed to do. Nessus identifies missing patches and vulnerabilities, but it does not serve as an operating system and third-party application patch deployment platform.

B (High-speed asset discovery) is more characteristic of dedicated asset discovery/attack surface tools or broader platform features; while Nessus can discover hosts during scans, “high-speed asset discovery” is not the defining, primary capability being tested here.

D (Agent-based detection) refers to endpoint agents running locally for continuous monitoring. Nessus Essentials is primarily used for scanner-driven vulnerability assessment; agent-based functionality is a separate approach/tooling concept and not the main Essentials scanning capability being targeted in this question.

Therefore, the best answer is C: Nessus Essentials is designed to scan and identify vulnerabilities, including detecting outdated/vulnerable versions across many server and service technologies.

The correct answer is A, Malware hiding. In CEH malware analysis concepts, a sandbox is a controlled and isolated environment used to execute suspicious files and observe their behavior safely. CEH-related material explains that dynamic or behavioral malware analysis is performed by executing malware in a sandbox environment, allowing analysts to observe processes, network connections, file changes, and other malicious activity. Sandbox evasion occurs when malware attempts to recognize that it is running inside an analysis environment and then hides, delays, or disables its malicious behavior. CEH-related content notes that advanced malicious applications may be designed to bypass sandboxing technology, commonly using fragmented code or sleep timers to avoid the inspection process. This makes the malware appear harmless during analysis. Firewall bypass and IDS bypass are network or detection-control evasion techniques, while encryption is only one possible obfuscation method. Therefore, sandbox evasion is best described as malware hiding.

The activity described is passive wireless packet capture in monitor mode—specifically collecting management frames (such as beacon frames and probe responses) and observing client/AP interactions (including authentication-related frames) while not injecting or transmitting anything. In the Aircrack-ng suite, the tool designed for exactly this reconnaissance-and-capture purpose is Airodump-ng.

Airodump-ng is the component that listens on the air interface once the card is placed into monitor mode, then captures 802.11 frames and displays useful reconnaissance data such as BSSID, channel, encryption type, signal strength, and associated clients (stations). Critically, it can write captured traffic to files (e.g., .cap) for offline analysis—which matches the scenario’s “record into a capture file for later offline analysis.” This is a common CEH workflow: reconnaissance → capture → analyze, keeping the initial step non-intrusive.

By contrast:

Aireplay-ng (A) is primarily used for active attacks / packet injection (e.g., deauthentication, replay) and would typically involve transmitting frames.

Aircrack-ng (B) is used mainly for key cracking (WEP/WPA/WPA2 handshakes) after capture, not for passive collection itself.

Airbase-ng (C) focuses on creating a rogue AP / MITM-style setups, which is also an active transmission role.

So, for silent monitoring + capturing beacons/probes/auth frames to a file, the best match is D. Airodump-ng.